


Unsaid

by Magefeathers



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Fluff, Kissing, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Self-Doubt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-26
Updated: 2017-05-26
Packaged: 2018-11-05 04:56:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11006439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magefeathers/pseuds/Magefeathers
Summary: Written for an anon request on tumblr. The prompt was Keith/Shiro + "you love me, right?"It was a curse, Keith thought, to feel things so deeply, and to not know how to express those feelings. Shiro had no problems expressing himself, even after everything that had happened to him. Even when he had every reason in the universe to be closed off and distant.But there was one thing that Shiro left unsaid, and Keith noticed.





	Unsaid

It was a curse, Keith thought, to feel things so deeply.

Things that the others wouldn’t think twice about, but stuck with him for days. Words that were said in jest, but replayed themselves over and over and over in his mind, begging him to find hidden truths and double meanings. Worst of all, however, were the things that remained unsaid.

_It’s a curse_ , Keith thought, as he sat on an empty couch in an empty room of the castle, his knees tucked against his chest and his arms wrapped around them. _It’s a curse to feel things so deeply, and to not know how to express those feelings_.

At the mechanical whirring of the door opening, Keith moved quickly to unfurl himself from his anxious position, glancing over the back of the couch to see Shiro in the doorway. Keith offered a smile that he hoped didn’t look as forced as it felt.

“Keith, there you are!” Shiro sounded relieved, and it made Keith’s smile come a little easier. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

Shiro looked like he was going to say something else as he came around the couch, but once he got a good look at Keith, he paused. “What’s wrong?” he asked instead.

“Nothing,” Keith lied, trying to relax his posture even more. He offered Shiro another smile. “Why were you looking for me?”

“Don’t do that, Keith. Not with me.” Shiro’s voice held warning, and Keith shrank back into the couch the slightest bit. Shiro softened, tried again. “I know you well enough to know when something’s wrong.”

Keith averted his eyes. Shiro was always so expressive, so open. His eyes, his face, his voice - everything about him conveyed emotion. Even after everything that had happened to him, even when he had every reason in the universe to be closed off and distant, Shiro still managed to be an open book. It was one of the things Keith admired most about him, and it was the very reason Keith was facing such uncertainty now. 

Shiro sighed softly, and took the seat next to Keith. Keith didn’t realize he’d been wringing his hands together until Shiro reached out, gently taking them in his own. Their fingers entwined, and Keith smiled a genuine smile looking down at them.

“Look, if you don’t want to talk, I won’t make you,” Shiro said, squeezing Keith’s hands in his own. “But I don’t want you to feel like you _can’t_ talk to me. I want you to know I’m here.”

Keith nodded, his eyes going back to inspecting the tiles beneath his feet. “I know,” he answered, and his voice was scratchier than he expected it to be. He swallowed the feeling down.

They were silent for a few moments, Shiro soothingly running his thumb over the back of one of Keith’s hands, before Shiro spoke again. “What do you need?”

And Keith thought about that - really thought about what he needed to feel better, right in that moment. There was only one thing he could think of.

“I need to know.” His palms felt sweaty, but Shiro held onto them anyway. Shiro waited for him to continue, and when he didn’t, Shiro prompted him.

“Anything I can tell you, I will.” Keith nodded again, took a deep breath. 

“Shiro, I-” He cut himself off. The lump was back in his throat. He couldn’t do it, he couldn’t say it. He tried again to swallow away the tension strangling his vocal chords. “You…” Again, he stopped, his jaw clenching in frustration, heart pounding in his chest.

“I’m right here,” Shiro assured. He moved his prosthetic hand up to gently massage Keith’s shoulder, his other one still tangled with one of Keith’s own. “Take your time.”

So, Keith did. Because that was another thing he admired about Shiro - that Shiro made him feel safe. Shiro made him feel calm. Shiro sat with him while he got a handle on his breathing, massaging away his worries with soft touches, anchoring him with even breaths. Keith needed to ask this. He needed to know. And he needed to see Shiro’s face when he answered. 

Keith finally met Shiro’s eyes. His voice wasn’t as loud as he wanted it to be, but it was surprisingly steady. “You love me, right?”

Shiro’s eyes widened a bit, before his brows furrowed. “Where’d that come from?”

“I need to know, Shiro,” Keith said, and he hated how pleading his voice sounded. “You’re always so open, you never hide your emotions, but you-” Keith cut himself off, cast his eyes downward. “You never say it.”

Shiro let go of Keith’s hand so he could grip both of his shoulders, gently turning Keith so that they were facing each other fully. One of his fingers slid under Keith’s chin, slowly tilting his head up until their eyes met again.

“Keith, of course I love you,” he said earnestly, his eyes so full with affection that Keith couldn’t have questioned it if he’d wanted to. “I never said it because I thought you knew.” Shiro gave a soft chuckle as he continued, “I guess I thought I was obvious.” As the laugh faded, Shiro’s lips turned down into a small frown. The hand that was holding Keith’s chin up slid to cup his cheek instead, and Keith gladly leaned into the touch. “I’m sorry I made you feel like I didn’t.”

Keith shook his head. “It wasn’t like that,” he assured, bringing up his own hand to lay atop Shiro’s, holding it in place. “Realistically, I knew you did. I just…” He shrugged. “Wanted to hear it.”

Shiro smiled, and pulled Keith in for a kiss. As their lips moved together, a gentle courtship they had practiced hundreds of times, Keith couldn’t help but smile into the kiss. When Shiro pulled away, Keith was still smiling. 

“I love you, Keith,” Shiro announced, “and I’ll tell you so every day if it makes you smile like you are right now, all the time.”

“Sounds good to me,” Keith laughed, and pulled Shiro in for another, deeper kiss.

This time when they parted they stayed close to each other, foreheads pressed together, fingers skimming along the napes of necks, raking up through hair. “Hey, Shiro?” Keith asked softly, to which Shiro gave a quiet hum as a sign to continue. “I love you, too.”

Shiro sputtered with laughter, while Keith admired the wrinkles that formed in the corners of his eyes.

“I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> I was originally going to go a much angstier route with this prompt but then I figured? Keith and Shiro both need a Break. If you liked it, leave a comment and let me know, or hit me up on tumblr @acetsukkis. I'm always taking requests! Thank you for reading ♥


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